It is pleasant to observe how the village of Stary Lepel is literally beautifying before our eyes, acquiring a new look.
It is pleasant to observe how the village of Stary Lepel is literally beautifying before our eyes, acquiring a new look. For twelve years, new houses made of environmentally friendly materials – expensive wood chips and reeds – have been actively built here for resettlers from the Chernobyl zone. Seven years ago, a new building of the cultural and educational center was opened in the village. Both the elderly and the youth enjoy participating in various clubs, courses, celebrating holidays and spending leisure evenings together. Interesting meetings and educational events are also organized here.
The village is gradually growing, and with it, the need for the construction of new social and domestic facilities arises. A contract for the construction of a FAP (Feldshersko-Akushersky Punkt – paramedic and obstetric station) was signed between the charitable organization "Houses Instead of Chernobyl", the international charitable public association "EcoDom", and the healthcare institution "Lepel Central District Hospital". The organizations allocated 300 thousand euros for the construction. Volunteers from Germany, students from Vitebsk, Minsk, Grodno, etc., were involved in the construction of the paramedic and obstetric station. In addition to the FAP, a house for medical workers was also built using new technology. The opening of the new facilities will take place at the beginning of October this year.
As part of the project implementation, the efforts of the international charitable public association "EcoDom" were combined with our German partners – the organizations "Heim-statt Tschernobyl e.V.", "Rotary Deutschiand Gemeindienst.e.V.", and the district executive committee. The cooperation was carried out with the support of the Small Grants Programme of the United Nations Development Programme/Global Environment Facility.
The international charitable public association "EcoDom", in cooperation with its German partner, the organisation "Heim-statt Tschernobyl e.V.", plans to construct thirty individual eco-houses. The village of Stary Lepel, along with seven other villages in this part of the Lepel district, is territorially served by the Voran FAP (Feldshersko-Akushersky Punkt – paramedic and obstetric post). The current building of the FAP is in poor condition. Its major repair or modernisation is deemed impractical due to the higher financial investment required compared to new construction. Furthermore, the FAP's location does not align with the population density. Consequently, most patients seek medical attention at the outpatient facilities in the town of Lepel, which is more accessible than the village of Voran. This results in a significant influx of patients at the district polyclinic.
The new, energy-efficient building of the paramedic and obstetric post is planned to serve the local basic school, as well as the densely populated villages of Stary Lepel and Yurkovshchyna within the Stayski rural council, which are located nearby. Relocating the FAP from the village of Voran to Stary Lepel will enhance the accessibility of medical services in rural areas, particularly for children attending the local school, improve the quality of care, and alleviate the burden on the town's medical institutions. This, in turn, will improve the quality of life in the villages of the rural council.
The project's objective is to create a model design using the new building as an example, which can be replicated in other rural regions of Belarus.
The heating and hot water supply for the FAP should primarily utilise renewable and local resources.
The walls and roof of the building are insulated using traditional renewable materials from the local region, and energy-efficient windows manufactured in the republic have been installed. CO2-neutral technologies are employed for the building's heating and hot water supply: a biomass boiler, solar collector systems, and building thermal regulation.
During the construction of the FAP and the residential house for medical personnel, an international volunteer camp was organised, involving thirty participants from Germany and Belarus. They contributed to the construction work, insulated the house walls, and thereby gained knowledge and practical skills in eco-construction technologies.
The experience gained during the implementation of this project will be disseminated throughout the republic and beyond by participants of the annual humanitarian programmes and projects of the public association and its German partner.
Between July 24 and August 4, Andreas Noack visited Belarus from Germany as a volunteer for the organization “Heim-statt Tschernobyl e.V.”. He installed a solar collector and is currently engaged in its adjustment.
The United Nations Development Programme/Global Environment Facility financed all the energy-efficient equipment that was delivered and installed in the village of Stary Lepel.
The new paramedic-obstetric station will be an excellent gift for the residents of Stary Lepel and nearby villages, and medical workers will feel comfortable and at ease in their new facility.
Sviatlana SILVANOVICH.